Yakutsk, Sakha Republic, Russian Federation: This is the coldest city on Earth – with a population over 100,000, but people still choose to live here.

While people in Canada and the US are in the middle of a series of polar vortex’, in the city of Yakutsk, locals continue daily life in -45C (-49F). With an extreme subarctic climate in Russia’s far east, Yakutsk in the Continental Subarctic or Boreal (taiga) climates is generally considered the coldest city in the world. The Sakha Republic seems proud of the fact that they are the source of much of the polar vortex’ in the northern hemisphere – cold and frost. However, much also comes from northern Canada and Greenland.

What would draw so many people to the Sakha Republic? As a result of a meteor impact, they say they have 27% of the world’s diamond reserves – enough to supply the entire world for 3,000 years. They also have many other strategic resources including coal, hydro and gas and oil.

Republic Sakha-Yakutia. A promotional Video Presentation. 2013 – It certainly doesn’t always look like this in winter.

Published on Jun 18, 2013

A new video promotional presentation that features all the aspects of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Russia’s Siberia – http://AskYakutia.com & http://eYakutia.com
Yakutia is the biggest Russian region located in East Siberia and the Far East.
This video was officially released by the Government of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and edited by Eugene Osipov in 2013

-51С in Yakutsk, Yakutia, Siberia / Russia. Walking. Yakutsk Weather

Uploaded on Jan 10, 2012

Experience Yakutsk winter weather with http://VisitYakutia.com

Learn about living in Yakutsk in winter & its weather at http://AskYakutia.com (info) and http://eYakutia.com (photos & videos)
Walking in the center of Yakutsk City, Republic of Sakha-Yakutia, Siberia / Russia. It’s cold today. -51C.
Follow my daily Yakutsk winter weather & travel photographs on Twitter: http://twitter.com/yakutia
Russian Asteroid Crater Has Over $1 Quadrillion of Diamonds

Video: Best information on Yakutia (which makes up 20% of all of Russia – 13x the size of France): The coldest place on earth – RT (English Russian TV) 120108; See also Video: From Siberia with Love #3 – Home in Yakutsk, Siberia

Yakutsk: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

With an subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification: Dfd), Yakutsk has the coldest winter temperatures for any city. Average monthly temperatures range from +19.5°C (67.1°F) in July to −38.6°C (−37.5°F) in January, and only Norilsk has a lower mean annual temperature for any settlement of over 100,000.

If snow and cold weather where you live has you down, be glad you’re not a resident of Yakutsk. The Siberian outpost, population 270,000, is said to be the coldest city in the world, according to the Guardian and other reports.

Located 3,100 miles by air from Moscow, the remote city in the far east of Russia hits temperatures as low as -49 degrees Fahrenheit. Friday’s forecast is a frigid -42 degrees Fahrenheit.

That seems almost balmy compared with the coldest recorded temperature: -83 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the Moscow Times.

While the extremely low mercury would send most of us into hibernation, locals continue with their daily life, which means going outside in extreme conditions, bundled up from head to toe in parkas, furs, and woollens.

This kind of cold is no joke: In addition to weather so severe it can give you frostbite while running errands, there’s also the freezing fog, which limits visibility to 20 or 30 feet.

Despite these obvious weather challenges, the city, located along the Lena River, about 280 miles south of the Arctic Circle, is a major port town. It is also the site of diamond and gold extraction, along with oil and gas production — which has the side benefit of keeping the “frost encrusted houses” in steady supply of much-needed heat.

Many homes are built on stilts because of the year-round permafrost, notes Lonely Planet. When the short-lived spring arrives, icy roads turn to muddy muck. It’s the one time of year when residents can’t cross the usually iced-over river — which has no bridge.

Summers, by the way, are short, hot and mosquito filled, so maybe year-round winter doesn’t seem so bad after all.

Of course, other lower temperature have been recorded on Earth. The lowest temperature ever recorded in the world was at the Russian Station in the Antartica – Vostok Station −89.2°C (−128.6°F) on July 21 1983 (our summer, in the sourthern hemisphere, is their winter) in North America the coldest temperature on record was recorded at Snag, Yukon −63°C (−81°F) on February 3, 1947.

A New Canadian Superstar is Unveiled

9-Year Old Canadian, Annelise Forbes Sings Her Heart Out – “Let It Go” from the new Disney Movie ‘Frozen’

Published on Jan 13, 2014

Annelise is a grade 4 student in Hamilton, Ontario.  She is 9 years old and loves to sing. She has not yet had any formal lessons but records a Christmas album as a gift for her family each year. Her Uncle Jesse Pitcher (http://www.jessepitcher.ca) did an awesome job. Annelise loves Idina in the movie, and put her whole heart into this song. We are so proud of her and will support her in developing her passions while enjoying her childhood. Annelise says singing makes her happy, well she makes us pretty happy too.

Twitter: @annelisekfor
Email: tamara@forbeshealth.ca

Big Freeze

The arctic vortex is slowly behind us and we won’t have to where multiple layers of coats anymore. In two month time I’ll probably start photographing first spring flowers, it is almost around the corner.

Polar Vortex explained in Wikipedia … 2014 North American cold wave explained in Wikipedia

Polar Vortex turns Niagara Falls into a frozen wonderland

Published on Jan 9, 2014, originally

Winter’s deep freeze sure can wreak havoc on travel plans but at least it makes for some jaw-dropping photography.

What you’re looking at is Niagara Falls encased in ice. You can see the Falls, still roaring in the back, but pretty much everything else near the Canada-US border has slowed down to a glacial pace.

The photo comes courtesy of Google Earth Pics who tweeted out the photo on Tuesday just as much of North America was contending with the fallout of a polar vortex, a system of tundra-like cold air that descended on the area to bring abnormally cold weather.

But while many may be bitter about the sub-zero temperatures, the timing couldn’t be more perfect for the area. Niagara Falls is currently in the midst of its Ontario Power Generation Winter Festival of Lights, which embraces the cold and paints the waterfall and the surrounding area in a colourful winter wonderland. Travellers interested in seeing the frozen Falls at the festival can do so until Jan. 31, assuming you don’t turn into a human icicle first.

Niagara Falls, Niagara Falls Canada US Border, Niagara Falls US Canada Border, Niagara Falls Deep Freeze, Niagara Falls Frozen, Niagara Falls Frozen Photos, Niagara Falls Google Earth Pics, Niagara Falls Polar Vortex, Frozen Niagara Falls, Latest Photo Of Frozen Niagara Falls, Niagara Falls 2014 Winter Pictures, Niagara Falls Frozen 2014, Niagara Falls Frozen, Canada Travel News

Surprising Book and Computer Feed Facts

I hope you gave at least one book for Christmas, to a friend or family member … and maybe received one too. Then we can all become a little more expert in our chosen fields … and have fun too!  Writing and posting to your own online blog or website also helps you become more expert since you must do a lot of research to design the site; more regular hard work to keep it current and relevant.

Did you know that a third of high school graduates  never crack open another book once they leave school?  I did, but I didn’t know that the same could be said for 42% of college grads.

The above infographic includes 7 surprising facts about reading, including one that in practical terms isn’t true. There are a lot of technical fields where reading alone won’t make you an expert; that takes doing the work.

Update: This infographic has been thoroughly debunked by a reader who pointed out that the Pew Research Center has survey data to prove that at least 3 of the 7 data points are nonsense. Thanks, Rebecca!  No matter – reading can make you more intelligent – broad general subjects leads to a well rounded, interesting individual – specific narrow subjects leads to a very knowledgeable individual, perhaps a world expert, in one particular topic.